Big names speculated to join Thalaivar 161

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While Rajinikanth is awaiting the release of 2.0, his next film with Pa Ranjith is creating a buzz even before shooting has commenced. Based in Mumbai, the film is said to be the story of a man who rises for the Tamils in the slums. It was recently confirmed by the makers that the film won't be based on the life of Haji Mastan, the famous celebrity gangster.

While the search is on for a Bollywood star to play the female lead, rumour mills are abuzz with news that Huma Qureshi of Gangs of Wasseypur fame has been approached for the film. It's worth noting that she was initially scheduled to make her film debut with Ajith's Billa II, which she had successfully auditioned for. But due to the film getting delayed, she had to drop the project, following which she debuted with Gangs of Wasseypur, which won her a number of awards.

It's also speculated that the crew has roped in Makuta Visual Effects to replicate the slums of Dharavi in sets at Chennai. Pete Draper, the Division Head and chief Technical Director was unavailable for comment. What's interesting is that the company is also credited with the VFX for films such as 7 Aum Arivu, Magadheera, Eega and both the Baahubali films.

Director Pa Ranjith, who is known for working with the same cast and crew, has also apparently opted to go for a fresh supporting cast; his regular actors will not be a part of the project. We had also previously reported on how his usual editor Praveen KL is not working on this film. The team is currently busy with pre-production work and the shooting is scheduled to commence from the end of this month.